Knocked down containers



Jan. 12, 1960 Filed Aug. 20, 1956 R. L. BUTCHER ETAL KNOCKED DOWN CONTAINERS.

5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENT-ORS waif ATTORNEYS.

R. BUTCHER ErAL, 2,920,781

KNOCKED DOWN CONTAINERS Jan. 12, 1960 Filed Aug. 20, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN TORS: MA MA,

AT TO RNEYS Jan. 12, 1960 R. L. BUTCHER ETA]. 2,920,781

KNOCKED DOWN CONTAINERS I 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 20, 1956 To R ove Door.

Re ve 2 olrs Top of Door.

Pu n ,Sid Clom'bs Lift Door u ATTORNEY5.

Jan. 12, 1960 R. L. BUTCHER r AL KNOCKED DOWN CONTAINERS 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Aug. 20, 1956 FIG. 4

FIG. 8

INVENTORS w ATTORNEYS.

Jan. 12, 1960 R. L..BUTCHER ET AL 2,920,781

KNOCKED DOWN coummzas 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Aug. 20. 1956 FIG. 9

FIG. I2-

INVENTORS: J. M Qh/W ATTORNEYS,

States Patent 'KNOCKED DOWN CONTAINERS RalphL. Butcher, Arcadia, and Leo F. Weber,

. Gardena, Calif.

Application August 20, 1956, Serial No. 604,963 '1, Claim. (Cl. 217-12) The present invention relates to improvements in knocked-down containers, and more particularly to a shipping cratefor carrying cargo in freight cars and vessels.

The primary object is to provide a knocked-down Sh pp ng crate or container which isformed of plywood sections which-may be used for shipping household goods and general cargo and dismantled or knocked-down to enable the container to be returned to its destination for being r e-assembled, re-loaded with cargo and re-shipped.

Another object is to provide a knocked-down shipping crate which is ,of uniform dimensions such that the sides,

bottom,'.to p and ends may be placed one on top of the other for return shipping in a dis-assembled package with all .of the parts tied together by band straps in such a manner as to consume a minimum amount of space in transit while beingreturned from a shipping point.

Another object is to provide a knocked-down shipping shipping crate having a removable door in one of the I en d walls thereof to gain access to the interior of the crate and facilitate removal of the cargo and load, suitable slide bolts being provided for securing the door in position. v

" Another object is to provide a'knocked-down shipping .crate having reinforcing angle irons around the corner edges thereof to reinforce the structure and hold the side and end walls in place with respect to the base and top walls, threaded fasteners being provided for securing the angle irons in position.

Another object is to provide a base member which is formed of built up plywood construction on longitudinally extending skids of 4 X 4 construction.

Another object is to provide .a portable knocked-down shipping crate which, will have a minimum number of cubic feet of Dunnage which will reduce the cost of returning the crate and shipping the same.

Another object resides in the provision of a shipping crate which is waterproof and is constructed in such a manner as to prevent damage to the goods being shipped jfrorn. vermin and the like encountered when shipping "crates'are deposited on docks for any length of time vprior to being shipped or after they have reached their destination port. Another object is to provide a knocked-down shipping crate to' which a shipping sling can easily be attached to facilitate the loading and unloading of the crate from cargo vessels and freight cars.

" 2 Another object is to provide a shipping crate in which all of the fastening elements are countersunk on the interior surfaces of the crate so that goods being shipped will not be marred or damaged by engaging hard sharp pointed ends of bolts and the like.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following description of the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the shipping crate embodying the present invention showing the same in its assembled position with the sides, ends and bottom held in place and the cover or roof secured thereto.

Figure 2 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken on line 22 of Figure 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows to illustrate the base member in plan view and showing the side and end walls removably secured thereto. The side and end walls being shown in dotted lines removed from the base to illustrate the manner in which the crate is assembled and knocked-down.

Figure 3 is an end elevational view of the shipping crate showing the removable door structure and illustrating the manner in which the top wall is removably secured in place. The top wall being shown in dotted lines to illustrate the direction of movement when being knocked-down.

Figure 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken on line 44 of Figure 3 looking in the direction of the arrows and illustrating the interfitted connection between the door and end wall of the crate.

Figure 5 is a'vertical cross-sectional view taken on line 55 of Figure 3 and looking in the direction of the arrows to illustrate the manner in which the lower edge of the door is held in place.

Figure 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken on line 6-6 of Figure 3 and looking in the direction of the arrows to illustrate the manner in which the end wall frame structure is secured to the base by angle cleats.

Figure 7 is a vertical enlarged cross-sectional view taken on line 77 of Figure 3 and showing the manner in which the inner ends of the bolts are provided with cup-shaped members having a nut receiving recess so that the inner end of the bolt will terminate a distance short of the interior surface of the crate.

Figure 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken on line 88 of Figure 2 illustrating the manner in which the side walls are removably secured to the floor or base structure of the crate.

Figure 9 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view showing in detail the locking bolt and threaded member for locking the door in position after the crate'has been loaded. This view is taken on line 99 of Figure 3.

Figure 10 is an enlarged horizontal cross-sectional view taken on line 10-10 of Figure 3 looking in the direction of the arrows and illustrating one of the sliding locking belts in detail.

Figure 11 is an enlarged fragmentary internal view of one of the hold-down eyes for receiving the hold-down straps and other load anchoring devices.

Figure 12 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of one of the hold-down connections taken on line 12-12 of Figure 11 and looking in the direction of the arrows to illustrate various fastening details of the hold-down connection.

Figure 13 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view of a modified form of hold-down connection and,

Figure 14 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken on line 1414 of Figure 13 and looking in the direction of the arrows to illustrate various details of construction of the modified holdoown.

In the drawings, and more in detail, there is shown in Figures 1 to 12 a preferred embodiment of the invention, and in Figure 1 there is shown an assembled knockeddown crate structure including a base or bottom wall for receiving connecting strips (not shown).

3 generally designated 5, side walls generally designated 6, a top or roof wall structure generally designated 7 and end walls generally designated 8 and 9.

The base is formed of a series of longitudinally extending 4 x 4s 10 spaced apart an equal distance and provided with a plywood cover 11 which is nailed to the skids 10 or otherwise secured in place by bolts or the like. The ends of each 4 X 4 runner 10 are cut away as at 12 to receive an angle plate 13 which is held in place by screws or the like 14 (Figure 6).

The angle bars 13 span the outermost pair of runners 10 as shown in Figure 3, and provide loops for receiving a sling connected to a hoist or the like. 1

The side walls 6 are likewise formed of sections of I plywood having their adjacent edges rabbeted or grooved The lower edge of each side wall 6 is provided with a longitudinally extending metal plate 15 and said strip is secured to the lower edge of the side wall 6 by means of sets of threaded fasteners 16 and 16A (Figure 8) which extend through correspondingly placed openings in the side walls 6 and pass through openings in angle bracket 18 which are inset so that their outer surface is flush with the interior of the plywood structure 19. It is to be noted that the plywood bottom wall 11 is cut away as at 20 to form a recess for receiving the outwardly extending flange of the angle bracket 18, and said angle bracket is intended to guide the edge of the plywood panel 19 into engagement with the side edge of the plywood base member 11. The longitudinal metal plate 15 and angle brackets \18 remain in position, and the plate 15 is secured to the base structure by means of a series'of carriage screws 22 which extend through alined openings 23 in the runners 10 and have their threaded ends 24 arranged to extend through a series of openings 25 to receive T-nuts. Thus, the side walls 6 are removably secured to the base and by removing the T-nuts 27, the side walls may be easily disconnected from the base.

The end wall 8 is formed of plywood stock and the edges are cut away as at 31 along their vertical sides to receive the ends of the plywood side wall panels 19. The lower edge of the end wall 8 is recessed for receiving angle plates 32 which are held in place by threaded fasteners or the like 33 and are intended to remain on the plywood end panel 8. A removable threaded fastener 34- is provided for securing the other plate of the angle member 35 to the base 5 and accordingly, the plywood panel 11 forming the base may be provided with correspondingly positioned openings for receiving the threaded fasteners 34.

The other end wall 9 includes a door frame structure having uprights 36 connected by a horizontal member 37 (Figures 1 and 3). The lower ends of the uprights 36 rest on an angle bar 38 which is secured to the edge of the floor panel 11 (Figure 6), and said angle bar 38 is held in place by one or more angle brackets 39 secured thereto and bolted to the base 11 by means of fasteners such as bolts and the like as at 40. An angle bracket 41 is attached by threaded fasteners 42 to the lower edge of each upright 36, and said angle bracket 41 has its other plate 43 secured to the underside of the floor panel 11 by means of threaded fasteners 45. The horizontal connecting member 37 is provided with an angle bar 47 which is secured in place by screws or the like 48 and the ends of said bar 48 extend over the sides of the uprights 36 and are provided with openings for receiving similar screws or the like 49. Thus, an opening is formed at one end of the knocked-down crate and said opening is adapted to receive a closure 50 which is likewise formed of plywood laminations similar to the plywood laminations forming the floor, side and top walls. The door has its upper edge rabbeted as at 51 to form a vertically extending rib 52 which is adapted to be received in a correspondingly rabbeted portion 53 of the horizontal door frame member 37. The lower edge of the door 50 is provided with a pair of cleats 52 (Figure 2) which are held in place by screws or the like 53 and said cleats are provided with an oifset lower portion 54 adapted to slidingly engage the edge of the angle bar 38.

A series of sliding bolts 55 are slidably mounted on the uprights 36 and each sliding bolt 55 is provided with a pair of elongated slots 56 for receiving bolts 57 which extend through openings in the frame members 36 (Figure 10). The bolts 57 are provided with heads 58 and washers 59 to prevent the bolts from passing through the restricted slots 56. The .bolts are of the threadless type and are passed through a locking plate 60 and secured in position by Cotter keys 61 which, extend through suitable openings in the ends of the bolts and securely hold them in position. It will thus be seen, that when the door 50 is positioned as shown in Figure 3 within the opening formed by the frame structure 36- 37, the door will settle so that the cleats 52 will engage over the edges of the angle bar 38(Figure 5). The bolts 55 are then slid into their operative positions and the door 50 is held against vertical movement by means of a pair of locking screws 63 (Figures 3 and9). The locking screws 63 are provided with washers 64 and extend through bores 65 in the rib 52. The threaded ends of the bolts 66 are received in a nut 67 which has its base 68 secured to the rear wallof the door by means of screws or the like 69. Thus, when the bolt 65 is in place the door 50 cannot be slid vertically, and hence cannot be removed since the lower edge is held in place by the cleats 54 and the side edges of the door are cut as at 71 to provide tongues 72 which overlap tongues 73 formed on the inner edge of the upright panels 36.

The side and end walls 6, 8 and 9 have their meeting edges connected by vertical angle bars 75 at the corners thereof. The angle bars 75 are provided with a series of equidistantly spaced openings for receiving threaded fasteners 76 which extend through the plywood as, for instance, of the side and end walls generally designated 6, 8 and 9 but for purposes of general application indicated generally at 6a in Figure 7. The threaded fasteners 76 are in the form of carriage bolts and are provided .with a head 77 having a shank 78 which is adapted to extend through an opening 79 in the plywood panels 6a of the side and end walls. The plywood panel is countersunk as'at 80 on its internal surface and is fitted with a cup-shaped member 81 having a recess for receiving the threaded end 83 of the bolts 78 and a T-nut threaded thereon as at 84. It is intended that the corner angle bars75 be secured in place throughout the entire structure 'which are similar to the angle bars 75 .and are held in .place by threaded fasteners 76 in identically the same manner as shown in Figure 7. The flanges of the angle bars 91 as at 93 along the sides and ends of the top wall 7 extend downwardly over the upper edges of the side and end walls previously described 6, 8 and 9. Bolts 76 are employed for fastening the depending flanges 93 of the angle strips 91 to the side and end walls 6, 8 and 9. Thus, when the bolts 76 are removed from the flanges 93 and being anchored in the upper edges of the side walls as well as the end walls, the top can be removed. Similarly, when the bolts 76 in the vertical angle bars 75 are removed'the side and end walls can be disassembled. f

The side walls 6 are provided with circular or round openings (Figures 11 and 12) at various locations as shown in Figure 1 throughout the length of the side walls in spaced apart relationend spaced apart sets. Plates 101 are bolted to the outside or external surface of the walls 6 to cover the openings 100 (Figures 1, 11

" manta,

and 12). The plates 101 are secured in place by bolts or the like 102 and extending into the opening 100 is a metal bar 105 which has its ends welded to the plate 106 to provide a loop or eye for receiving tie-downs such as straps or the like used in holding the contents of the crate in place against longitudinal and lateral displacement.

In Figures 13 and 14there is shown a modified holddown construction, and here, the side walls 6' are similar to the walls generally designated 6 and are formed of plywood laminations. The interior surface of the side walls 6' is recessed as at 111 and further recessed as at 112 to provide oppositely extending recessed portions for receiving a channel bar 113. The ends of the channel bar 113 are received in the recesses 112 and are secured in place by threaded fasteners 114 having heads on one end as at 115 and nuts 116 threaded on the threaded ends of the bolts 114. Thus, the channel bars 113 form an anchor bar for receiving hold-down ties and the like for preventing cargo shifting, and the entire assembly is below the surface of the interior wall of the crate.

When the crate is set up for shipping, the parts are assembled as previously described. After the cargo reaches its point of destination and the contents of the crate removed, the crate may be easily knocked down by removing the carriage bolts 76 and lifting the top 90 as shown in Figure 3. Next, the end walls 8 and 9 are removed as shown in Figure 2 by displacing the same laterally after one set of bolts 76 have been removed from the uprights 75 while leaving the angle bars 75 attached to the end walls 8 and 9. Similarly, the side walls 6 are removed by disconnecting and removing the nuts 27 which permits the side walls to be moved laterally away from the floor or base 5 as shown in Figure 2. When the parts are thus disassembled they may be stacked one upon the other and connected by means of tie bands of metal and returned to their point of shipping. In this knocked-down form, the crate consumes a small amount of space for its return passage so that the same can again be erected for re-shipping.

It is to be understood, that the forms of the invention herewith shown and described are to be taken as preferred embodiments thereof, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claim.

What we claim is:

In a knocked-down shipping crate, a base formed of a sheet of plywood, runners on the underside of said base arranged in spaced apart parallel relation to form a pallet structure, metal plates extending along the outer side of the base structure, fastening means securing the lower portions of said plates to the base and said runners, side walls removably connected to the upper portion of said plates, end walls extending between the side walls, vertically extending angle bars for connecting the side and end walls at the corners thereof with the vertical angle bars terminating a short distance from the upper edges of said side and end Walls, fastener elements for removably securing said vertical angle bars to said side and end walls, a top wall having a metal strip of angle section secured to and completely extending around its edges with one flange arranged to overhang the upper edges of the side and end walls and abut the upper edges of the vertical angle bars, fastener elements for removably holding said top wall in place, one of said end walls being provided with a door opening having vertical edges provided with cut away portions with the upper edge of said doorway undercut to provide a rabbeted portion, an angle bar secured to the lower edge of said undercut portion, an angle bar secured to the lower edge of the door opening with one flange extending outwardly and the other flange extending upwardly to form a door seat, a door adapted to be removably mounted in said opening with its side edges cut away, the cut away side edges of said door and door opening forming mutually engaging interfitting surfaces, a rib formed on the upper edge of said door slidably received in said rabbeted portion when the door is inserted in said door opening, cleat members secured to the inner wall of said door along the lower edge thereof having offset portions slidably interlocking with the upper edge of the upwardly extending flange of said door seat when the door is slid downwardly to close said opening,- and locking bolts removably mounted in the rib of the door immediately beneath the first mentioned angle bar when the door is in closed position and prevent the same from being shifted vertically and thereby lock it in closed position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 414,622 Willits Nov. 5, 1889 664,084 Hauser Dec; 18, 1900 1,147,257 Mendelman July 20, 1915 1,222,416 Krbavoc Apr. 10, 1917 1,970,836 Benson Aug. 21, 1934 2,077,122 Loyd Apr. 13, 1937 2,360,232 Howie Oct. 10, 1944 2,406,448 Wheat Aug. 27, 1946 2,418,861 Allington Apr. 15, 1947 2,547,112 Daniels Apr. 3, 1951 2,702 513 Tuttle Feb. 22, 1955 

